JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Analysis of the Journal of Hospital Marketing & Public Relations

Maria Theiler
The University of Rhode Island

JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Background:
The journal I picked is the Journal of Hospital Marketing & Public
Relations. This journal is formerly known as the Journal of Hospital
Marketing but was renamed in 2002. The Journal of Hospital
Marketing & Public Relations presents pertinent and practical material
on new and effective ways of marketing hospital services. Written by
and for hospital marketing professionals, the Journal of Hospital
Marketing & Public Relations shares current and cutting-edge
marketing applications and methodologies. (Taylor & Francis, 1987).
The first volume of the journal was published in 1987 and there have
been twenty volumes published since. West Virginia University ranked
this journal with a B in 2014 (West Virginia University, ND). The overall
impact factor from this article is a 0.0 (Research Gate, ND).
Form:
Throughout the Journal of Hospital Marketing & Public Relations,
tables, illustrations, and figures are present. Tables are found most
frequently. In the article, Alternative Quality Measures and Profitability
of Hospital Inpatient Services Offered, by Donald R. Self, Charles E.
Hegji, and Robin M. Self, the authors use three tables and one
illustration. However, in the article Organizational Effectiveness and
Financial Performance: A Healthcare Study by William Minnis PhD and
Dean Elmuti PhD, there are no tables, illustrations, or figures. Every
article is organized by headings before each paragraph. The heading

JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

tells exactly what the paragraph is about. Almost every article has an
introduction, methods, and results paragraph. However there are a
few exceptions such as in Assessing Advertising Content in a Hospital
Advertising Campaign by Mohan K. Menon PhD, Janelle M. Goodnight
PhD and Robin J. Wayne MBA. This article does not have an
introduction or conclusion paragraph. Similarly to a methods
paragraph, it has a methodology paragraph. This type of paragraph is
seen in other articles as well. The article Exploring Quality
Perceptions of Health Care Operations by Thanika Devi Juwaheer PhD
and H. Kassean also has a methodology paragraph instead of a
methods paragraph.

Style:
The style of the writing is specialized for the audience. The
Journal of Hospital Marketing & Public Relations is directed to people in
the healthcare, marketing, and public relations fields. Jargon for these
three fields is used throughout the journal. A new form of outdoor
advertising, street pole banners, can make a measurable impression on
consumer consciousness without the placement and travel constraints
of billboard advertising. This sentence, found in the article
Measuring the Effects of Street Pole Banners on Consumer Awareness
and Preference has marketing jargon that the general public may not
understand. The general public may not know what Consumer

JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

consciousness is because it is a term that professionals in this field

use. However, jargon in the marketing and public relations fields is
more common, therefore the most challenging jargon to read is the
healthcare jargon. In the article Exploring Quality Perceptions of
Health Care Operations, healthcare jargon that is used is the term
patient amenities. Patient amenities in hospitals can range from gift
shops, to spiritual services, to valet services (Wheaton Franciscan
Healthcare, ND). Throughout the journal, the most common
abbreviations are those of associations as well as various medical
terminologies. Physicians are now participants in strategic alliances
and partnerships with hospitals, ancillary providers (home health
agencies, rehabilitation centers, etc.), and third party payers
constituting preferred provider organizations (PPOs), health
maintenance organizations (HMOs), physician health organizations
(PHOs), joint ventures, and organizational cooperatives (Westbrook,
1998). These abbreviations are present in the first paragraph in the
article The Role of the Physician and the Present and Emerging Health
Care Channel by Kevin W. Westbrook, PhD. The author purposely
introduced these abbreviations in one of the first paragraphs so that he
could use them throughout the rest of the paper instead of writing the
long name. By putting the abbreviations and the whole name in one of
the first paragraphs, it helps the reader read the article more easily.

JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Who Writes:
The writers in the Journal of Hospital Marketing & Public Relations
vary from article to article. The majority of the writers are from
universities around the country. All of the writers have academic or
professional backgrounds. The editor of the journal is Tony Carter,
PhD, JD, MBA. He is a Professor and Director of the School of Business
at the University of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut. The rest
of the editorial board consists of professors from around the world and
working professionals. These universities include the University of
Rhode Island, Texas A&M University, and the University of Wales, which
is located in the United Kingdom. Likewise, the companies include
National Medical Enterprises, Inc., Global Capacity, Inc., and
Progressive Marketing Group, Inc. The most cited article from this
journal is Why Do Patients Select a Hospital? A Conjoint Analysis in
Two German Hospitals. This article was written by Jens Leister PhD &
Jrgen Stausberg MD. The article explores the reasons why patients
chose one hospital over the other. The most popular articles are about
patients choices about hospitals and social media and advertising
from hospitals.

Audience:
The main audience for this journal is anyone in the healthcare
field. However, as stated before, the jargon used is common therefore

JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

the general public is able to understand the journal. This journal is

Written by and for hospital marketing professionals therefore it
shares current and cutting- edge marketing applications and
methodologies within the healthcare field. (Citation). Some audience
members are targeted more specifically by the practical and
methodology-oriented articles. This is because these articles assist
theses practitioners in enhancing their productivity and effectiveness
in areas including fund development, recruitment, hospital economics,
target analysis, and many more (Taylor & Francis, Inc., 1987). The
audience is not just subject to professionals in the healthcare field
even though that is the target audience of the journal. The subjects
covered in this journal are business, management and accounting;
economics, finance, business and industry; marketing; marketing
communications (Taylor & Francis, 1987). With that being said,
anyone interested in these topics is part of the audience of the journal.
The article Measuring the Effects of Street Pole Banners on Consumer
Awareness and Preference is one of the articles in the journal that has
a broader audience than some of the other articles. This is due in part
to the main idea of the article. The main idea of the article is all about
marketing and public relations. Healthcare is a side point. With the
main idea focusing around marketing and public relations, this articles
audience is based largely on marketing and public relations
professionals rather than healthcare professionals. On the other hand,

JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

the audience for the article The Role of the Physician and the Present
and Emerging Health Care Channel is largely made up of healthcare
professionals.

2014 Journal Rankings. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2016,

from http://www.be.wvu.edu/faculty_staff/resources/journalrankings.htm

Journal of Hospital Marketing & Public Relations (J Hosp

Market Publ Relat). (n.d.). Retrieved
February 24, 2016, from
https://www.researchgate.net/journal/
15390942_Journal_of_Hospital_Marketing_Public_Relations

Patient Amenities. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2016, from

http://www.mywheaton.org/all-saints/
for-patients/patient-amenities/

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson,

M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A. (2010, May 5). General

JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

format. Retrieved from
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Journal of Hospital Marketing & Public Relations. (n.d.).

Retrieved February 24, 2016, from
http://www-tandfonlinecom.uri.idm.oclc.org/loi/whmp20#.Vs5H5pFCfoA